Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Blob” drawings as theorised by Lebbeus Woods: “Blobs were all the rage in architecture a few years back—does anyone recall? While that fashion has passed, to be replaced by ‘parametrics,’ these two trends do share the characteristic of being inspired by the ease with which digital computers can generate complex shapes. Or […]

Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Blob” drawings as theorised by Lebbeus Woods:
“Blobs were all the rage in architecture a few years back—does anyone recall? While that fashion has passed, to be replaced by ‘parametrics,’ these two trends do share the characteristic of being inspired by the ease with which digital computers can generate complex shapes. Or perhaps in the case of blobs we should say ‘non-shapes?’ given that these particular forms have, shall we say, fluid boundaries, evoking indeterminacy and something in continual flux…. For Da Vinci, drawing was his prime means of analyzing the phenomena of the living world…. Analyzing in the way I use it here, however, is not ‘taking apart’ something observed or experienced, nor is synthesis ‘putting parts back together.’ Da Vinci’s method of analysis was by analogy. Rather than pick apart a phenomenon, separating what he perceived as its components, he created in a drawing a parallel world, an analog to reality. Working with analogs, he could emphasize the features of phenomena he considered most important. Da Vinci’s blobs—drawn masses of turbulent water or stormy air—are prime examples of his analogical method of analysis.” (Full entry published HERE)